September i, 18S5.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



199 



AGRICULTURE IN SIAM. 

 {Translated for the "Straits Times".) 



Mr. Hamel, the Netherlands consul general at 

 Bangkok, draws the following dark pictare of the state 

 of agriculture in Siam, in his official report for 

 1884:- 



As I have repeatedly set forth in my previons yearly 

 reports, this country from being intersected generally 

 cpeakiog as it is bv many large rivers which yearly 

 overflow widespread plaiDS, is extremely fertile and 

 were the Goveroment to give the least help or slightest 

 encouragement, there is no reason why Siam, so far 

 as rice growirg is concerned, should not run Burmah 

 and Cochin China very close. Nothing is, however, 

 done by the authorities in this respect. Neglect of a 

 matter of euch high importance to the people at large 

 is rather to be noted than otherwise. Everything 

 of the kind is left to private enterprize, nowith- 

 itandine that a large revenue from rice cultiv- 

 ation flows into the Slate Treasury both from 

 direct taxation on the standing crops and duties 

 on grain exports. Whenever the particular inter- 

 ests of some head official do not come into 

 play, not the slightest outlay is made for either canal- 

 ization or irrigation. Even the canals around and 

 near Bangkok are not regularly kept at a proper depth. 

 Hence it is that many a time in the dry season cult- 

 ivators cannot take their proiuce to market from in- 

 sufficient means of communication. It is generally 

 taken for granted among rice dealers here that, of 

 late years, rice, especially the kind styled a field rice, 

 has fallen off in quali*y and become lighter and more 

 brittle, and after husking, yields a much larger amount 

 of broken grain than formerly. This points to the 

 desirableness of improvement either by importation on 

 a large scale of better seed grain from other districts, 

 or by closer supervision over cultivation. With the 

 exception of small experiments now and then by enter- 

 prizing private individuals, nothing whatever has been 

 done in 'his line. In December Ij^t year, I had an 

 opportnnity of going up the Ban Pa Kong river. Not 

 many years ago, a great iiumber of sugar mills were 

 found there, most of which have, however, disappeared. 

 Caoe is now grown there for lo^al consumption only. 

 Two rice mills were almost the only [signs of in- 

 dustrial activity along this large stream. The fertile 

 fields along bo;h banks lie mostly uncultivated. At 

 diitances of more than twenty English miles harlly a 

 dwelling house, much less any cultivation came UDder 

 notice. In all directions so far as the eyesight reached, 

 there were stretches of lonesome, unfrequented plains 

 overgrown with high grass which only awaited the 

 industrious bands of cultivators to yield abordant fruit. 

 I also noticed the same state of things alfng other 

 large streams which traverse Siam, such as the Mekong 

 acd Tochiii. Even the highly futile valley of the 

 Mensm is no eiceptioa thereto. I hence deim there 

 are good groncds for comine to the coi c!n>ion that on'y 

 a tw.ntieth part of fertile fields of Siam has been 

 brought under cuhivatir.n. Tears ago an enlightened 

 and eLt:rptiEiDg Siamese laid be'ore the Government a 

 Scheme for setting up a large Cultiva'im ("(•mpany, 

 wit its support and cooperation, to till this waste 

 lad. and, with that object, to further the immi- 

 gration if Chinese labourers, but it was rep-atedly 

 r<jecle<i for fear of poiiticai complications. Yet 

 it is ti ihe industrial enterpriz' of ihe Chines" 

 that ■'■iam mainly owes what few impn v- menls have 

 beeu c. rrieJ through. Even without drfct interference 

 on the part of the Govercment, a great deal might be 

 done to make the country more fion i-hing ard pre 

 duc'ive, were rnlythe Government mii.Hiul of gradual;} 

 intr' ducipg much needed reforms in its ruing system. 

 Bud, by the appointment of salaried officials, and 

 other measure* as well, cbeckiog the extortion aod 



arbitrary proceedings of the legion of high an'* 

 low officials, who, as matters now stand, live ex- 

 clusively by knavery ard extortion which naturally 

 works baruifuUy in every way, and cannot further by 

 any means tlie growth of public well being. 



Mr. Hamel further takes note of the circumstances 

 that in 1884, 13,000 to 15,000 head of cattle were ex- 

 ported from Bangkok, they being conveyed regularly 

 to Singapore by steamers carrj-ing on the average 

 about 200 head each trip as deck loading. This 

 trade which yields h gh profits is almcst ex- 

 clusively in the hands of Klinge and Malays under 

 British and Netherlands protection. 



As to teak wood, the consul-general reports that 

 the Siamese kind as it becomes better known in 

 Europe, comes into greater demand and reachesalmost 

 the same value as the Manlmein article. Supplies of 

 it from the interior fell below the average in 1884 

 from the low stage of water in the rivers preventing 

 cargoes of it coming down on rafts. Should the rivers 

 this year be more navigable, larger supplies than 

 u'ual may be expected with a prospect of higher 

 prices from greater demand. The trade in the article 

 is said to be best carried on in small vessel*, from 

 their light draft enabling them to pass the bar below 

 Bangkok, thereby saving much outlay and trouble. 

 Mr. Hamel concludes the report by noting that direct 

 trade between Siam and Netherlands India nas smaller 

 in 1SS4 than in former years from Java needing less 

 nee from that country, and from fewer of the Siamese 

 fish called Platu bemg caught owing to its growing 

 scarcity in the Gulf of biam. 



VII. 

 Till. 



IX. 



ELEMENTARY TREATISE ON AGRICULTURE 

 PART 1. IN TAMIL) BY C. BRITO ESQ. 

 The above is the title of a neatly printed book of 76 pages 

 a copy of which has been sent to us by the author. Its 

 9 Chapters are thus distributed. 



Chap. I. Arithmetic and Geometry. 

 II. Astronomy and Geography. 

 HI. Geology. 



Earth Fire Water, 

 IV. Chemistry. 



Elements and Compound Subitances, 

 V. Biology. 

 VI. Animal Physiology. 

 Botany. 



Agriculture, Soil, Improvement Vegetable 

 Products, 3Iauure, "Water, Ploughing, .Sow- 

 ing, Reaping, Animals, Paddy. 

 Meteorology. 



.\Ithough the concrete sciences are more engaging to 

 young minds than the absract ouee, yet it is a fact, inexplic- 

 able as it is, that the former are deferred to a later period 

 in the students' coarse than the latter. In our schools, 

 science is taught only in the higher classes, in English 

 Schools; and it is not at all taught in the Vernacular, perhaps 

 for the obvious reason that proper text books cau be had 

 only in English and to lesrn from them they must first go 

 through the English Grammar and the English language. 

 Mr. Brito's book professing to tw a Tamil text book of 

 science cannot be too highly recommended to the vernacular 

 schools. The curious school boy will find in it many curious 

 things which cannot fail to excite him to more extensive 

 pursuits. To know in a practical way how to measure a 

 piece of laud, how to account for day and night, how two 

 had poisons can join together and produce our curry salt, 

 to know that our earth was formerly a round ball of rrck 

 with fire in the middle, that even now there is fire within 

 the Earth enough to melt stones and metals that there is 

 no such thing as fire, but it is only a sign of the separation 

 of two elements, that water is not an element, that the 

 great and mysterious tank at Nilavarai can be explained 

 away as an .lirtesian well, that iliamond is a kind of coal, 

 ruby alumiiia, that even the simple .ict of a man's walking 

 is equal to carrying a weight 3C0 c» t., that there are sucli 

 things as animal trees, that although certain animals are 

 cQt and backed to piec««, yet erery piece will become a 



